No. 4 Kansas will take on East Tennessee State tonight in what should be a tournament-type test in Allen Fieldhouse.
ETSU (3-0) certainly has a chance to get to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017. The Buccaneers were picked to win the Southern Conference, one spot ahead of recent KU foe UNC Greensboro. ETSU is also ranked third nationally in the Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll.
That being said, Kansas (2-1) is still considered a 15-point favorite as of Tuesday afternoon on FanDuel’s Sportsbook. Now that most of the odds are officially available, let’s take a look at all the betting numbers of interest for tonight’s matchup.
Tipoff for this campus-round contest for the 2019 Maui Invitational is slated for 7 p.m.
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**FanDuel’s odds for KU vs. East Tennessee State**
Spread: Kansas -15
Total score: 144
1st half spread: Kansas -8.5
1st half total: 67.5
1st half away team total points: 29.5
1st half home team total points: 38
2nd half spread: Kansas -6.5
2nd half total: 76.5
2nd half away team total points: 35
2nd half home team total points: 41.5
Away team total points: 64.5
Home team total points: 79.5
**Best bet**
[In the preview blog][1], I picked East Tennessee State to cover the 15-point spread. So I’m going to give another tip for this game. Based on my score prediction, I’m comfortable taking the under on total points scored by Kansas at 79.5.
ETSU only gave up 80 or more points in five of its 34 games last year, and has yet to do so during its 3-0 start to the 2019-20 campaign. Per KenPom, the Buccaneers also rank 267th in adjusted tempo. They have an average possession length of 17.7 seconds on offense and 18.1 seconds on defense.
So it wouldn’t be surprising if the Buccaneers decide to play a little slower to limit possessions. After all, they don’t want to get in a track meet with the Jayhawks in Allen Fieldhouse if they hope to keep this game within reach in the end.
My pick: Under home team total points (79.5)
[1]: http://www2.kusports.com/weblogs/jacksons_journal/2019/nov/19/getting-to-know-east-tennessee-state-bas/
